Samsung Galaxy Beam review: A pricey projector

Samsung seems intent on pushing the envelope with mobile device screens, edging to the outer limits of what could be considered 'pocket-size'. Four inches, five inches, coming close to even six inches with the newly announced Samsung Galaxy Player 5.8. But sometimes there is just not enough space on a phone display to fully enjoy the video of Keyboard Cat for the 150th time.

The Samsung Galaxy Beam attempts to address this shortcoming by featuring a full blown HD projector, meaning any wall, ceiling or flat surface can become a mini-movie theatre, or jazzy home office. On this score, the phone is a real triumph, but its high price makes the projector feel a touch like an expensive gimmick.

Despite being fitted with the integrated projector, the handset does not feel overly bulky. The look of the phone could be described as sporty, featuring a yellow and chrome bezel, with a rubber textured back panel. It is just 12.5mm thick and weighs around 145g, only five grams more than an iPhone 4S.

The front of the Galaxy Beam features Samsung's external home button and a VGA camera, along with touch-screen keys below the 4-inch WVGA screen. The SIM tray is pretty poorly designed and it can be a real headache to retrieve the card if you need to, but otherwise the Beam's design is pretty solid. There is also a microSIM slot too.

The Galaxy Beam has 8GB of internal memory and up to 32GB of additional storage, along with 6GB of RAM, a 1Ghz dual core processor, 5MP rear camera and a 2,000 mAh battery. The inclusion of a separate battery and charger is a nice touch too.

Having just 5MB on the main camera is a bit of a let-down considering most of the other handsets in this bracket have at least 8MP, but the snapper does at least take some decent photos.

Operating system

The phone comes with Android 2.3 Gingerbread. There have been rumours of an upgrade to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, although nothing has been confirmed on this.

As this is an Android phone, you get full access to all the apps and content from Google Play, which can be downloaded to the device and then arranged on the home screen.

Alongside Google Maps, the phone comes pre-installed with a number of other services, such as Social Hub, Music Hub, and Game Hub, along with Polaris Office for Microsoft Office support.

But in the absence of Ice Cream Sandwich, users are currently stuck with a pretty dated version of Android that can struggle when coping with a full home screen and multiple apps running at the same time.

Projector

Star of the show for the Galaxy Beam is clearly the integrated projector, which is capable of 15 lumens of brightness, sufficient for high-definition projections up to 50 inches wide.

A dedicated app within the Galaxy Beam activates the projector, enabling users to share videos or photos taken on the phone's rear-mounted camera or found from elsewhere, or play games on a surface larger than the Beam's four-inch screen.

The main uses for the projector will be showing off YouTube videos on a bigger surface, although you can beam absolutely anything from the phone screen if you so wish.

Gaming would seem a good option with the projector, but it's actually impractical due to the difficulty of juggling the phone as both controller and projector. However, the projector does offer some decent options, such as showing content to a bigger audience without needing to sync the phone up to a compatible TV (although this option is also available).

A slider can change the sharpness of the beam and it can also be rotated too. In gloomy conditions it performs well, but loses resolution in brighter spaces - although that could be said about any projector.

Just a side note, anyone with a cat will have hours of fun mystifying their pet with the light. But don't blame us if something gets broken....

Verdict - projection isn't everything

Strip away the projector pizazz with the Galaxy Beam and you have a pretty standard mid-range Samsung Android phone - and a pretty expensive one at that.

The phone costs around £380 without a SIM, or offered for free on contracts of £31 a month or higher. For just a bit more money, you could get a Samsung Galaxy S3 featuring much better specs and Android Ice Cream Sandwich.

There is also only a relatively limited range of uses for a projector beyond showing off photos or videos. It is not big enough to have a real cinema experience and is impractical for gaming. But if you have always dreamed of having a projector in your pocket, then the Beam might just be the Android phone for you.

The Samsung Galaxy Beam is available now from The Carphone Warephone for free on price plans of £31 or higher, along with other retail outlets.